Members of the Class of 2017 say they aren’t happy that their last day of school has been pushed back one week, meaning they will end classes only one week prior to everyone else instead of the two weeks that has been in place in previous years. Some seniors say that extra week of summer was reserved for working a summer job and hanging out with friends prior to heading to college. To put it simply, “They don’t like it,” said senior Court Middleton, describing the sentiments of his friends. A change in schedule like this will confine the seniors in school for one extra week, but it also leaves some students and teachers clueless about what they are going to do in that extra week, especially since AP tests ended earlier this month. Middleton said that he is currently working on a number of projects for his classes with minimal actual new material. “I think teachers are used to having a set amount of time [to teach the classes],” said Middleton, so for the extra time they get, some teachers just devised filler projects to take up time. While seniors like Middleton face the prospect of filler projects at the end of the school year, teachers like AP Psychology teacher Ms. Bullinger fear “a crappy last few weeks” with stressed juniors and “checked-out” seniors. Nonetheless, why was the senior release date changed? Some teachers believe that it was changed to match the last day for seniors at Skyline. However, according to Assistant Principal Kevin Hudson, it is because “the superintendent felt [the senior release date] was too early.” So, the last day for seniors was changed “to maximize [the seniors’] educational experience,” said Hudson. For this first year, however, some teachers are doubtful over the actual effect of the one extra week. Bullinger worries about a philosophy of quantity over quality behind this decision. “I believe in quality over quantity,” says Bullinger. “Sometimes politicians put quantity over quality.” She does not think that one week will make much difference. “The seniors are checked out second semester after getting into the colleges of their choices,” Bullinger said and added reluctantly that teaching seniors in the last few weeks of school can be like “glorified babysitting.” English teacher Jeff Kass, who teaches Creative Writing, a class with juniors and seniors mixed, said teachers should have been involved in the calendar decision making. “The teachers got no say in the decision,” said Kass, “and I am not sure if it enhances their education experience or just creates resentment.” Kass said he actually enjoys the weeks without the seniors, not just because of the safety from senior pranks but also because of the quality time with juniors. Towards the end of their high school careers, “the seniors are ready to leave,” said Kass. After they are gone, however, “the juniors can focus on writing and get some good stuff done,” said Kass, “because it is difficult for the seniors [to do that].” Fellow English teacher Shawn Ashley, who teaches AP English 12 and English 9, has a couple of classes almost entirely composed of seniors. However, he is not too distraught about the one week; he will actually enjoy his time teaching his seniors a bit longer. “Of course, I enjoy reading,” he said.It seems this change in the senior schedule mainly affects teachers who teach classes that are open to seniors as well as underclassmen. As a teacher with classes composed of seniors and juniors, Bullinger says the situation is a two-way street. “We need to change the system, so it would make the last nine weeks be valuable for them [the seniors] as well,” says Bullinger. Kass agrees. “I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I think it is questionable whether they will learn more.” Meanwhile, Ashley, without a lot of “class conflicts” in his classes, said he will just take a little bit more time on his last unit.